U.S. and other security officials told The New York Times on Sunday that they are growing increasingly worried Iran could direct proxies to launch retaliatory terrorist attacks against American targets around the world if President Donald Trump launches strikes against Iran.
No specific plan has been detected, but officials told the Times they have noticed heightened chatter indicating some level of attack planning and coordination.
Possible threats include Hezbollah sleeper cells or al-Qaida affiliates attacking American bases or embassies in Europe or launching attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea, the Times reported.
"Iran can work through proxies to conduct terrorist attacks that will raise costs for any U.S. military campaign," Colin P. Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, an intelligence and consulting firm in New York, told the Times.
"If the U.S. military campaign against Iran is existential for the supreme leader and the most senior members of the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], I would fully expect Tehran to order terror attacks abroad, including in Europe," Clarke added.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., also warned of risks in launching an attack against Iran and its regime.
"Military strikes on Iran would risk igniting a wider regional war, endangering American forces across the Middle East and destabilizing global markets in ways that would harm everyday Americans," Reed said in a statement.
"Before any military action is considered, President Trump must come before the American people, explain why any conflict would be necessary, be honest about the risks and costs and present a clear strategy with a defined endgame," Reed, a West Point graduate, added.
Though Iranian proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have seen their resources dwindle the past year, officials warn they could still pose a significant threat to Americans around the world, the Times reported.
"The Iranian-led global 'axis of resistance' is sharply diminished in areas immediately bordering Israel but is still capable just beyond that reach in places like Iraq and Yemen, and even farther afield where the presence was smaller but still significant," said William F. Wechsler, the senior director of the Atlantic Council's Middle East programs and a former top Pentagon counterterrorism policy official, to the Times.
Counterrterrorism officials have also raised alarms about the possibility of a mass-casualty attack carried out by al-Qaida.
"Al-Qaida's ambition for external operations remained high and may be increasing," a United Nations Security Council counterterrorism assessment reported this month.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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